Distance Between Cities Calculator

Calculate the direct distance between two cities from their coordinates.

About Distance Between Cities Calculator

The direct distance is the floor for any journey; roads, terrain and airspace all add to it. Driving distance typically runs a fifth to a third longer than the straight line. Direct distance is the right basis for comparing options, but never for estimating journey time without a road factor applied.

Formula

Distance Between Cities

Straight-line distance = Earth radius × central angle between the city coordinates

direct distance: As the crow flies, ignoring roads and terrain
road factor: Driving distance typically exceeds direct distance by 20 to 30 per cent

Worked example

With the default values below, Distance Between Cities Calculator returns Distance of 5,570.222. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

First latitudeaccepts -90–90 degrees: 51.5074 degrees
First longitudeaccepts -180–180 degrees: -0.1278 degrees
Second latitudeaccepts -90–90 degrees: 40.7128 degrees
Second longitudeaccepts -180–180 degrees: -74.006 degrees

Results

Distance: 5,570.222 km
Distance: 3,461.175 miles
Distance: 3,007.681 nmi
Initial Bearing: 288.33 degrees
Flight Time at 900 km/h: 6.189 h

Step by step

1Values used
2Distance Between Cities
3Distance= 5,570.222 km
4Distance= 3,461.175 miles
5Distance= 3,007.681 nmi
6Initial Bearing= 288.33 degrees
7Flight Time at 900 km/h= 6.189 h

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Distance Between Cities calculated?

Straight-line distance = Earth radius × central angle between the city coordinates The direct distance is the floor for any journey; roads, terrain and airspace all add to it. Driving distance typically runs a fifth to a third longer than the straight line.

Why does Distance Between Cities matter?

Direct distance is the right basis for comparing options, but never for estimating journey time without a road factor applied.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 4 inputs: First latitude, First longitude, Second latitude, Second longitude. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.